Sonic Tales: The Castle of Requiem
by Musetrigger
Summary: The emeralds are in danger again, and it's going to take everything Sonic and his friends have to save Mobius from total eradication. It will get deadlier from here on out. The OCs in this novel are well done and balanced with the original cast.
1. Chapter 1: The Starting Line

Chapter 1: Hey! You want to race?

A metallic crushing sound can be heard from across the rocky landscape as the blue wonder, Sonic the Hedgehog, pummels the shape out of a drone eggbot. After the impact of Sonic's attack, the great robotic machine bullets into the ground that would make a simple quake with ease. Sonic then leaps from what seemed like an invisible platform and lands on one of the rocks that surrounds the area.

For what was thought to be ages, but maybe just a few years, Sonic the Hedgehog was always on the move when it came to defeating Dr. Robotnik, a.k.a Dr. Eggman, and after so many years of being on the winning side, it seemed like a hobby to him, but even a hero like him gets bored of the same routine. Most may think it's crazy, but one can only take so much victory until he finally snaps and challenges someone out of his league, but for Sonic, he could never find that one person that can push him to the kind of edge that he longs for. "Man! It seems like I can never find that person that can push me to the kind of edge that I long for!" said the little blue beast. See? I told you.

Still, only a few eggbots remain, and Sonic was facing RIGHT at them. The drones might not have any independent thoughts like any backstabbing Omega would, but if they did; they'd know they were screwed beyond belief. Then in the back of their database, in the very corner of the system that controlled their many actions, in the very back of their mainframe, something out of the blue suddenly compelled them to run for their lives!

"Hey! Where the hell are you going you overgrown Coca-Cola cans!?" Sonic wasted no time catching up to the, although really resembling Soda containers, Eggbots. But let's face it, Sonic doesn't need to waste any time at all, because he has already moved in front of the robots and in their way of a pathetic escape. Standing on another rock facing the robots eye to eye, Sonic shrugged and arrogantly grinned, "Now you guys weren't going to just leave me hanging were you? I mean come on! You should've realized by now that you were going to be molded into ugly looking game consoles." The robots just stared at each other, not knowing whether it was a nasty joke for the Playstation 3, or Sonic was losing his grip on heroic lingo. And then, one of the robots in the back couldn't help but let out a bit of mechanical chuckle over Sonic's lame pun. Soon enough, the rest of them joined in. "What the… Hey! Stop laughing you worthless pieces of trash!" Sonic yelled angrily, "That's it!! You bots are so dead!"

The rock that Sonic stood on began to crumble as he was charging up for a powerful attack. "Let's see you laugh at this you fiberglass losers!!" But at that one moment that Sonic finally swore a little cloud of vulgar, a piercing light bulleted from his right side, and at the eggbots. With all the light emanating from the blast, Sonic could no longer see what happened. When the light finally subsided, Sonic froze in place at what he saw next. The rocks around the area were reduced to hot sand, the vegetation was in flames, and the robots…were no more.

"I…can't believe it…Whoohoo! Oh Baby! I never realized I was so fast!" And just like that, Sonic began striking heroic poses pretending that paparazzi were taking countless pictures of every part of him. "Oh yeah! Excellent! I was so fast I never even noticed that I…" Sonic stopped posing and became limp, "…I…didn't do that…did I?" Sonic let his legs let go and plops on his backside on the rock he stood on. "Whoa…then…if I didn't do it…who did?" Sonic Hops up on his feet, still on the rock, and scans the area for another life form. And what he saw did nothing but Shock him. From his right side kneeled another blue hedgehog wearing a light blue shirt, tight jeans, and a pair of running shoes, and of course, a pair of gloves. The hedgehog also had a large bag over its body and a piece of one of the robots in its other hand. Then in blind anger, "Hey you wise guy!" Sonic began screaming at the person, "Why don't you go to the other side of the canyon and chase some girls or something and leave a fellow dude to his work!" Whether Sonic was joking around or being a moron, the hedgehog heard every bit of it, and she was mad as hell.

The hedgehog put down the bag, revealing a beautiful figure that only a female can possess. She then exploded even louder than the blue wonder, "Who the hell are you calling wise guy!?" Sonic was shot back with humiliation that he misconstrued something so simple. The girl was even sporting a long ponytail that stretched all the way to her naturally larger waist, not to mention her naturally larger chest. "Oh! Sorry about that. It's just that you had a bag hiding your body and I was just…" The fired up blue girl interrupted Sonic. "My body!? You better watch what you say Blue Balls, or I'll deck into next month! My body is nothing of your, or anyone else's concern! So leave it at that while you still have September to look forward to!" Sonic flinched. He has never seen this much female angst since he was running away from that date that Amy forcefully made him promise to her, But putting all that junk aside, Sonic's attention went to the bag. "So…what's in the bag princess?" The girl's eyes widened and looked at the bag that she was carrying, "Oh this? It's nothing. Just a few things that I carry around with me." Sonic lets out a cool looking humph, as if that will ever make up for the humiliation that he endured, "A few things huh?"

Sonic summersaults off the rock that he was perched on and landed a few feet from the girl, "It's sort of funny to be just carrying your belongings everywhere you go, and in such a cruddy bag. Not the best way to see the world now is it?" Instead of being shocked in any way, Sonic was cockier and laid back this time, having his eyes closed to show he was relaxed. The hedgehog girl began showing signs of frustration, gritting her teeth and squeezing both the items in her hand. Sonic then continued angering her, "You know. If I was the suspicious type, I'd have to guess that you stole that stuff."

"No way!!" Sparked the girl. Sonic's eyes opened and kept on contact with the girl's, which were crossed with anger. The two stared down at each other for several seconds, the girl being completely ambiguous on how to defend her things. Sonic saw this as a confession.

"Stealing is bad you know." stated Sonic at the shaking girl, looking as though she was going to collapse right in front of him, "And by how you look like now, it seems you can't take the pressure." Suddenly, the atmosphere around the two became hot. Sonic still stood there sober, even though he did notice the change in climate.

What is all this? I didn't predict the weather to get this hot in the afternoon. What the heck is going on? Sonic then noticed a change in the girl. Her stance was no longer shaking and irritated, but she was standing tall, as if she became a tower. The expression in her face was no longer angry, but much calmer and determined. Sonic was paused by the change in her, that he didn't notice her put the robot part that she took into the bag. She kept her eyes on him at all times when she did. Sonic and the girl continued to stare down at each other as heat waves alter the shape of the horizon, and the vegetation around them became dryer with every passing minute. After minutes of nothing but the sound of the scorching winds, the girl finally spoke, "You wanna see what's in this bag that badly, eh Blue Balls?" After those words, her emotionless frown became a smile.

Sonic snapped out of the long stare down. He began smiling too; trying to withhold his composure best he can, "Well? You wouldn't mind would you?" Sonic could already feel it and so could the girl. A challenge is developing.

"Why not," the girl replied, "I don't see the harm in it."

"Then let's see it," said the Blue wonder.

"Hold your horses," interrupted the girl. "It's not that easy you know."

Sonic showed an awkward visage at the girl's statement. Not that easy? What does that mean? How easy is it to open up a bag of crap?

"I'll let you see what's in this bag," the girl said confidently, "That is…if you can beat me in a race. First one to reach the city in the horizon is the winner!"

The atmosphere became close to scorching and Sonic was too excited to care about it. To him, the girl made the biggest mistake in her life. He then remembered that the city wasn't too far off, just 30 miles away from where they are. It's an easy win. Sonic shrugged and shook his head a bit, "Now why did I not see this bombshell coming? I mean everyone would want to race against me." The girl let out a small chuckle. "Oh really? Are you that good?" Sonic began stretching his legs in ways that an Olympic runner would stretch. "Heh! You'll have to find that out yourself. But I'm warning you. I rarely lose to anyone." The girl didn't change at all in emotion. Apparently the light threat didn't have any effect on her. Sonic noticed this, but was still stretching. The girl, with the large bag still on her shoulder, started stretching her legs too. "Is that so? Or maybe it's not that you never lose, rather you don't want to lose." Sonic lost his frown instantly after hearing that. Humph! This girl is trying to get my goat or something? Sonic began stretching his arms soon after his legs, although running usually doesn't involve your legs.

"Tell you what," the girl said, "For safety measures, I'm going to hold onto this bag. It's going to be on my back at all times, but I will still race as good as without one." The girl's "safety measure" puzzled Sonic. Aww Come on! It's not like she was going to set the bag down, and I run up, grab the bag, and hightail it out of sight. That wouldn't be a race! But Sonic didn't intervene with the girl's outrageous decision. In fact, he could care less. "Hah! Then if you're so sure of yourself, go ahead and carry that bag. Now how about we get this race underway?" The girl stopped stretching and so did Sonic. "Alright then! Let's do this thing! Be ready to eat my dust Blue Balls!" The girl assumes racing stance and waits for Sonic to do the same. Sonic crouches down with his right leg up front, the other in back, and both his hands clawed to the ground. Both were facing towards the awaiting city ahead.

Looks like race time. This is going to be a piece of cake to pull off! The Blue Wonder thought to himself looking ahead and switching to the girl a few times as she counted down.

"Okay! The famous 'Race to Metropolis' will now begin!" The girl began to count, "On your marks…"

This kid is just so clueless. With that huge ponytail, she's just going to create a mess of drag. Not to mention that bag that she's carrying. And those cloths are just interference. Oh brother…

"Get set…"

She's just like Amy. Hah! I better take it easy so I don't hurt her feelings. Oh man! I think I'm going to end up hating myself for this. Ha ha ha!!

"Even more set…"

Wait…what's with the "Even more set thing"? Is she trying to make me mad?

"…Almost there…"

Get on with it already!!!

"Go!!!"

In a gust of wind, the girl literally blasts forward as if she was shot out of a cannon. And with that, the trail she leaves blinds Sonic from the heading. "Wow! Jeez!!" And like the girl, Sonic rockets towards their heading just as fast. With that cloud of sediment out of his eyes, Sonic could see a dust trail that has been kicked up by the girl's blinding speed. Sonic kicks it up a notch and attempts to catch up to the girl. Following the dust trail, Sonic plows through every rock and bush that was unfortunate enough to be in the way.

Sonic never bothered to jump and see where she was, so he would keep his feet planted on the ground and increase his speed. Soon he spots a large canyon in the distance that had the girls trail stretching all the way over it. "Man!" The hedgehog said, keeping his pace, "This chick is pretty serious. That canyon is well over 20 meters wide." But with that said, Sonic cleared the canyon with a great jump, still following the girl's trail. "Hah! So that's where she is!" Once Sonic was in the air, he was able to catch a glimpse of how far she was, and she was only a little ways ahead of him.

"Good! I can catch up to her in the plains coming up now." And just like Sonic said, they were both racing on a flat stretch of land that had almost nothing sticking out of it. It's even clear enough to land a plane, the perfect landscape to catch up to the girl. Sonic then picked up some additional velocity and slowly closed in on his opponent. He was just close enough that he could pull up beside her. What he saw was beyond amazing. The way she was running defied his logic about drag completely, Her legs were moving so fast that they were nearly invisible to the human eye. Her body was inched ahead of her that resulted in a much-needed cut in drag. And her bag and ponytail, looked to have no effect on her speed. What Sonic thought of her winning to be impossible, was already destroyed by her agility. Even her dust trail was having trouble keeping up. By the looks of it, Sonic was in trouble.


	2. Chapter 2: Forest Expedition

Chapter 2: Forest Expedition 

The girl, while keeping her desired pace, turned her head to Sonic, who was running right on her left side. Their eyes met in the blurring scenery, both locked on each other. Noticing how fast they were actually going, Sonic and the girl can't help but smile at each other, rather than curse competitively. The girl was even compelled to wave at Sonic and smile happily, and Sonic couldn't help but give thumbs up in response. This was the challenge that Sonic was waiting for, a challenge that he hasn't had in ages. But nothing ever prepared him for what was about to happen. For the girl's friendly smile slowly formed into an evil grin. With that, she bolted ahead!

"What!?" Sonic tried desperately to keep in contact. Fortunately he was able to keep the same distance. For some reason, the game wasn't a game anymore. The girl was cutting through the plains like her very life depended on it. Then Sonic realized the terrible fact of the whole race. The girl wasn't racing. She was trying to escape!

"Oh no you don't you bitch!" Sonic was closing in on the girl one more time, determined to beat her. But then the plains deteriorated and a set of large hills appeared. The girl found this change in scenery…an opportunity. Sonic still maintained a good distance between them, even getting close to passing her up. But then the two of them started climbing a very large hill, close to being a small mountain. Reaching the top was straining Sonic. He hasn't run up a slope like this in a long time. He never even felt the need to train up, being as cocky as he was. That would play a big role in what happens next. When the girl began going down the opposite slope, she jumped up into the sky, and twirled sideways to face Sonic. "What the hell!? What is she going to do!?" Sonic said. The girl then yelled, "Say goodnight loser!"

Before Sonic could react to her voice, He felt something hit his face, something hot. Sonic then covered his face from the explosion and in turn lost his footing. The blue hedgehog violently rolled down the 45-degree slope with his face still covered. It felt like he was tumbling down for hours. When he finally stopped rolling down and the ground was level, Sonic was face up with his hands spread out, his body bruised, and his face burnt. Still conscious, he could here the Sonic boom left behind by the victorious girl. For the first time in a long time, Sonic the Hedgehog…was defeated.

Sonic never moved. He didn't even try to wipe the burnt fur from his face; He just lay there motionless, staring at the passing clouds.

"What…what happened? How…how…did I…lose?" Sonic's expression remained shocked as he gazed into other afternoon sky. "Why did I…lose? Was I too confident? Was I too cocky? What did I do wrong?" Sonic didn't know how to say it. "I lost and she won." He couldn't say it. He simply didn't know how. He just felt the suspicion that she was out there, and she was laughing at him. She was laughing at how he was easily brought down, easily sent down a hill, and in her wake. Every minute passed like it was an hour. And the hours, felt like never-ending days.

"Man. What a bummer this is. I can't believe I lost. I can't believe I lost." Sonic felt like the sky was spinning as he repeated those words over and over. He felt he was forever trapped in the race, to remember how fast the girl was, and how fast he was taken down. For all he knew, his leg…were cut off and taken by her.

Two long hours passed. By now the burnt hairs were blown from Sonic's face. His eyes were closed as if he was ready for someone to find him and step on him. "Wow. Even a small loss would make me act like Shadow. This really sucks." Sonic then opened his eyes once more and looks at the fluffy white puffs in the sky once again. "Well would you look at that? Even the clouds are moving faster than me."

Almost immediately after he spoke, he felt a rumble in his blue locks that made him jump in fright like a schoolboy after he found out he was sleeping in class. "What!? Who's there!?" After looking around, Sonic realized it was his cell phone. He always keeps it nestled in his hair if he ever needed to call up Tails for a ride. But now, it seems someone is calling him. Sonic reaches to the back of his head and pulls out the phone. He presses talk and holds it to his ear. "What's up?" He answered.

"Sonic? Where the hell are you! We got work to do."

The voice griping at Sonic is none other than the voice of Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's past rival, and protector of the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic was really surprised that Knuckles would even call him on his cell, considering they aren't that much friendly to each other.

"Oh Hey Knucklehead. What's new?" Sonic asked as he plopped back onto the ground again.

"Knucklehead! Why I aorta…never mind. I need you to meet me over at the edge of the forest up in the north highlands. That new place; Requiem Forest." Sonic was trying to remember where this Requiem Forest was and knew that it was unexplored land. It was always blocked off by G.U.N. so Sonic wasn't too interested in that area. "So what's up man? What's going on in Relinquish Forest?"

"That's Requiem Forest! R-E-Q-U-I-E-M! Got it memorized?!" shouted Knuckles.

"Okay sorry! You didn't have to spell it out you nobody!" Sonic remarked ignorantly.

"Look. Whatever okay? Just meet me at the edge of the forest. You and I need to check something out that happened last night."

"Oh yea! That explosion! It was on the news last night!"

"Exactly! Wait…you watch the news?"

"Oh…well I was sneaking around Rouge's pad and she was watching it. You should really try the 'Turkish Delight' in her fridge. Spot-on!"

"Hold up! You stole Rouge's sweets? …Forget it. Just get your kleptomaniacal ass over here. We need to do this tonight!"

"Fine. I'll be there. Just stop pulling your dreadlocks and wait for me." Sonic said as he pressed talk to end the connection. "Hey! Wait up-" The phone line went dead and Sonic put the phone back in his hair. "Hmm. Revamp Forest eh? I've been wondering about that place. I better book it over there!" And so, Sonic burst toward the north where the forest is found, and where Knuckles was waiting.

_Hmm…that explosion WAS a pretty big thing on Rouge's television. Maybe that's why Knucklehead wants to check it so badly. I guess I can't blame him. I was wondering a bit myself. That explosion was all over the news. But I better keep my mouth shut about that girl and the race that I lost. I don't want Knuckles to think that I've gone soft. _

_That girl probably cheated anyway. Must've thrown one of those smart bombs at me. No one could beat me; therefore she must've cheated. But I'll deal with it later, because when I see her again, she's going to wish she never messed with Sonic the Hedgehog! Now where's that Rubba dub forest again?_

In about ten minutes, Sonic already passed up the city and was heading to the more mountainous north. Up north was where Knuckles said he'd meet him, at the entrance of Requiem Forest. With that in his mind, Sonic pushes forward to the rendezvous point.

A the edge of the great Requiem Forest, Knuckles the Echidna was impatiently pacing in a circle awaiting Sonic's arrival. "Argghh! Where is that fool! It's bad enough that he hung up before I told him to bring a machete, now he's even later than ever. Next time he asks me to get somewhere I'm going to tell him to kiss my-"

"You called Knucklehead?" Sonic suddenly appears crouched on a nearby tree branch and waits for Knuckles to respond.

"Uhh…umm," Knuckles stuttered, "Yea! I've been waiting for you to get here! Heh…T-That's right." Sonic jumps off of the branch, which bent as he pulled away from it, and lands right where Knuckles was facing. A small group of leaves fall from the branch that shook up from Sonic's jump. "So Knuckles. What's up? What's the plan," Sonic said waiting for the red echidna to explain why he was called up.

Knuckles let out a sigh and folded his arms, "Okay. Listen carefully. You already know that last night there was a huge explosion, right? Well you might think it was, but what I felt was totally different. It actually felt like some sort of energy, rather than just an explosive charge by G.U.N."

"Energy?" Sonic repeated, "Like the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Maybe so. But all the emeralds are safe at Angel Island, along with the Master Emerald, so they couldn't be the case. What I felt was like the emeralds, but from a different source. It didn't come from an object I think, but rather…a person."

Sonic was baffled by it. For as long as he can remember, the Chaos Emeralds were a source of power for everything. What else could make such power explode like that, the Sol Emeralds?

"Blaze?" said Sonic, thinking of the only person to have access to a different source. If anything, she would be responsible for an explosion that is if she was angered enough.

"No. I highly doubt it." Knuckles stated, "She's on our side after all. Whatever did do this must have immense strength to make an explosion without something like the emeralds, and that is why we're going to check it out. If you ask me, we're looking at another threat to the world."

Knuckles sighed again. Sonic has never seen Knuckles so concerned since the monster Chaos, so now it must be something serious. Sonic looked down at his shoes and tried to put the pieces together. "If there really was another group of enemies…then why did they attack the forest?"

"I'm not sure," Knuckles said, "but it's about time we found out. Enough talking. Let's go!" Sonic's head rose to find Knuckles proceeding into the dense woods, but Sonic didn't follow. Something was stopping him, which was the fact that he lost to that girl. He still felt bummed out about that incident. The guilt and depression followed him all the way to the forest.

"Wait!" Sonic shouted without thinking. Before Knuckles entered the darkness of the woods, he turned his head to Sonic. "What is it Sonic? What's holding you back?"

Sonic didn't know what to say. He didn't want Knuckles to here about what happened. Instead, he brought up something else. "You think we should call up Tails too?" Knuckles shook his head. "I tried…but he has other affairs right now it seems."

That's right. Miles Prower, good friend to Sonic, left on another journey. He said he was going to try to study up on old civilizations, and that Sonic didn't need to worry about him. He also said he was bringing a subordinate so he'd have more help in his research. Sonic didn't know why he wouldn't bring him, Tails just said it was going to be boring, and said that Sonic would hate it. Nonetheless, Sonic still thinks about Tails, and remembers that Cream the Rabbit was writing to him every Thursday. Even Amy and Rouge wrote him a letter.

Sonic wasn't surprised; He HAS been gone for half a year now.

"Ah…we'll be fine without him this one time. Let's get this show on the road!" Sonic said with all his confidence back. Knuckles nodded and let out a respectful humph. "Okay. Let's do this!"

Relentlessly, Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna proceeded through the new world of Requiem Forest. The trees were so dense and close to each other, that the protective canopy blocked that nearly all the light. The flora down on the ground were different though, something none of the heroes have seen before. For safety, Knuckles stated before they got to far into the forest, that they would maintain a slow pace to avoid getting lost. That gave both of them to observe the sounds and looks of the forest.

They can both hear birds chanting and singing up in the tall canopy, and small frogs and chirping insects hidden in the lower brush. The plants had weird shaped leaves, some that were shaped like funnels, and others that resembled jaws. Knuckles could tell that the plants are carnivorous, but he never saw them quite like this. After minutes of walking, they spotted a flytrap that looked to be as tall as a royal gravestone, stretching 3 meters into the air. Sonic backed off a little ways from the ugly looking flytrap.

"What's wrong Sonic? Afraid of an overgrown plant?" Knuckles let out a small chuckle. "Dude! That thing just moved!" Sonic said pointing at the plant. "Ah come on Sonic. You can't expect all ugly plants to come and bite you. Besides, it was probably the wind." Sonic sighed and continued on with Knuckles. When they covered about two meters though, Sonic heard a long hiss coming from behind. Knuckles heard it too and both turned to their back, seeing only the plant in view. "Okay then Knucklehead! Tell me! Did the wind do THAT?" Sonic pointed again at the monstrous flytrap and looked at Knuckles with wide eyes. "Umm…well…it is a meat eater. It might just have a bad case of gas." Knuckles smiled and shrugged. Sonic couldn't help but think that Knuckles was being a moron today. Plants don't get gas, they don't have stomachs…do they?

"Fine. Whatever then." Sonic said giving up on the idea that they were going to be eaten by some piranha plant thing. With that, Sonic gave the plant one last look before catching up to Knuckles.

It's been about an hour in the forest already and Sonic began showing signs of impatience. He's been looking around and kicking oddly shaped rocks around as he walk, at which is playing a real number on Knuckles' nerves. Trying to play it cool, Knuckles takes a deep breath and proceeds forward with Sonic playing football with egg-shaped stones. Sooner or later, Knuckles felt a large object hit him on the back of his hard head, shattering his meditation.

"Will you stop that!?" Shouted Knuckles after quickly turning to face Sonic. Funny thing is, Sonic didn't notice what he did wrong. "Ah lighten up Knuckles, We're almost there aren't we?" A big red vein appeared right on Knuckles' big hard head as he grit his teeth and growled like he was some Tasmanian devil in heat. "Sonic! First off, we don't have a heading on where we're going. Secondly, You kicked a rock on my head. And Lastly, It Hurt!!" Sonic backed off holding his hands up at Knuckles', while he had his fists up ready to sock Sonic in the teeth. "Whoa there Knuckles! I didn't kick a rock at you, honest! You got the wrong stud!" Knuckles lowered his fists, showing that he cooled down, and huffed angrily. "Then if you didn't do it…" Knuckles proceeded to look up in the sky, thinking that someone, or something, decided to pelt him with a stone or two. But once he did, a huge rock about the size of a medicine ball, found it accordingly to meet Knuckles' unlucky face.

"See? I told you I didn't do it!" Sonic said to the squashed Knuckles. "I see, point taken Sonic old pal. Now would you be so kind as to get this Boulder Off Me?!" Knuckles shouted flailing his arms outward in a blind rage. "Whoa! Okay." Sonic moved the big rock off of Knuckles and revealed his face with a busted nose. "Aoooww Hah Haaooww!!" Knuckles shouted agonizingly holding his nose. "I'm godda feel dis for a Gnod Dabb year! Dabbit!" Trying hard to avoid laughing at Knuckles Sonic looked up into the canopy. "Well? How do you suppose a rock as big as that ended up in the trees?" Knuckles stomped the ground in pain like a Sumo wrestler's attempt at dirty dancing. "I duddo! Bong keys?" Sonic then spotted a dark figure looking down at them with glowing eyes. "There! That guy!" Sonic shouted pointing at the figure. Knuckles just finished reshaping his nose and shouted, "After him!!"

The figure jumped and sprinted through the canopy above with Sonic and Knuckles chasing after him. The figure maneuvered through the canopy like a ninja on a sugar rush, looking to be out of this world. Whatever this person was, he just became their target. Sonic was already in front of Knuckles as they chased down the rock-fling caper through the denser woods of Requiem. It almost seemed that Knuckles was having trouble keeping up, but he was really wrapping up his nose with a bandage, not enough to make him sound funny. "Come on Knuckles! Pedal to the Metal!! You're fading back!!" Sonic shouted to his rear. "Don't get cocky Sonic. These woods are really dense! Keep your eyes in the front of you at all-" Knuckles stopped talking as soon as Sonic ran head first into a large tree. Then he said, "-times…"

After passing up Sonic, red Echidna screeched on the grassy ground and went back to aid him, while the figure disappeared in the darkness. Knuckles kneeled down before the dazed Sonic and said, "you alright George of the Jungle?" Sonic sprung up from the ground and tried to run again, "No I'm not!! That guy's getting away!"

Knuckles grabs Sonic by the hair and flung him back on the ground. "Save it Sonic. That guy is already miles away. Just chill out." Knuckles stands back up and brushes off his knees and elbows. Sonic had his fists balled up and his arms shaking, "But Knuckles! He's…he can't just go…" Sonic sighed and rubbed his nose after colliding with the tree. Even if it was only a few hours ago, Sonic was beaten again. This certainly wasn't his day. After getting up, Sonic found the tree that he ran into and kicked its trunk. "God! I hate these things! Who invented trees anyway!?" Knuckles looked at Sonic taking his anguish out on the poor tree and shook his head. "Sonic, just save it, okay? I'm not too proud of it either, but we'll get him soon. I have a feeling we'll run into him again." Sonic finally stopped hitting the tree and put his hand on the bruise he left on it. He was really letting the idea of losing get to him. Now he was taking it out on a living thing that can't even defend itself or tell him to stop. Sonic took a big sigh and sat down on the trunk of the tree. "I'm sorry Knuckles," Sonic said, "I just haven't been myself lately. Losing is really getting to me." Knuckles shook his head again. "Well you never let get to you before, that's for sure." Sonic wiped the sweat from his forehead and scratch his ear. "I guess so. It's just not one of my days I guess. I'm sorry Knuckles." Then Sonic turns to the tree he leaned on and put his hand back on it. "I'm sorry tree."

Knuckles shook his head yet again, knowing that Sonic had a great deal of sympathy for all things living, even the ones that just stand in one place all their lives. And then something caught his eye. Knuckles couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.

A castle…


	3. Chapter 3: Prey Meets Predator

Chapter 3: Prey meets Predator 

"Sonic…Look" Knuckles said to the blue wonder covering the tree's bruised spot with a leaf Band-Aid. Sonic then stood up and faced the caste. What he saw was a large gap of land that was rowed by trees. A path that led to an enormous medieval-style fortress that looked like it could scrape the very sky. Skyscraper. How funny. It looked to be newly constructed, made up of grayish bricks that formed the immense shape of the structure, that looked like they haven't ages a decade. The towers that pointed upwards were numerous and tall, that had black tops roofs and windows swirling around them. The two were also able to see weird shaped object precariously placed on the edges of the gray wall that surrounded the castle. Knuckles guessed that they were gargoyles, which were used in old medieval times to symbolized demons and devils, and to occasionally scare off anyone stupid enough to think they were real. The castle structure even shined and glistened in the afternoon sun as if it had a holy aura about it. Both the warriors' jaws dropped at the beautiful castle, taking an occasional step towards it.

"Think it's real?" Sonic asked Knuckles still mesmerized at the great fortress. Knuckles stuttered in amazement, "No…it can't be." The wind began picking up; blowing from their backs like the castle was giving them a soothing greeting. The two looked back for one second to find that the gapped trail was still stretching down for more than a mile, leading to an opening that showed the towering mountains.

"How far have we travel exactly?" asked Sonic again, but still with no answer from Knuckles. Instead, Knuckles began walking down the wide trail and tried to make out what was on the other side. "I think there's a lake down there," Knuckles said trying to focus on his direction, "or maybe a river or something." Sonic looked into the same direction as Knuckles and realized that he could smell fresh water. And the wind did a good job carrying the richer aromas of that area. "Yeah…and there are flowers too." After sampling the sweet smells of the distant lake, Sonic turned back to the castle, gazing at it once more. "But I think we should check out that place first. Whaddya think Knuckles?" Once Knuckles heard his name, he snapped out of the fresh scents of the wind and faced the castle as well. "Yeah…it would be a good idea to see who owns this land. If anyone lives there, we can ask them if they heard any explosions last night." Sonic nodded. To be seeing such a magnificent castle, someone must live in it, someone really rich. Sonic was already trying to picture what kind of person the owner would look like, maybe an old man with a huge retirement fund, or an extremely famous rock star. Over a hundred different thoughts and ideas were zooming through Sonic's imagination.

"You think we might be able to have a tour inside it?" Sonic asked wit a wondering smile. Knuckles walked up to Sonic and looked at his face. He really wanted to check out that castle, not only because it's suspicious, but also because he was curious about it. "Uhh…don't get too cocky Sonic," Knuckles advised the eager hedgehog," This isn't Disney Land." "I know that!" Sonic said, "I just want to see what's inside it!" Sonic then started running down the road to the shining castle. "Sonic! Wait!" Knuckles yelled out running behind Sonic. Knuckles knew how eager Sonic was to check the place out. He himself wanted to look around, but he never counted on just barging in without the slightest thought of what to do…if they were trespassing.

"Sonic! Wait you idiot! We can't just rush this! We need a plan!" Knuckles shouted to Sonic still on a course for the castle. After he told him to stop, he did. He came to a screeching halt in a matter of seconds, giving Knuckles time to catch up. Once he did, he gave Sonic a huge slug to the head. "Oww!" Sonic yelled covering his head.

"Next time why don't you wait before doing something you dope!" Knuckles yelled, but Sonic kept his eyes fixed ahead of him. "Hey! I'm talking to you Sonic! Speak up!" Knuckles yelled again, but was stopped by Sonic's hand holding his muzzle shut. Knuckles pulled the hand away and asked, "Hey! What the hell!?" Sonic then slapped his face to look to their front, and there stood a tall figure standing up with his arms folded across his chest.

The person looked to be like Sonic and Knuckles, looking to be from the same origin and world, but was a foot taller and had brown fur that spiked up like needles. His hair was combed all the way to his back, long and also spiky, with two large bangs hanging in the front. His nose, like any other wolf-like creature, was big and stuck out in front, and his eyes were of a bright yellow.

The cloths he wore were as odd as he was, a tight black vest with no sleeves and a turtleneck covering the bottom part of his face, which was held together by a zipper in the front. He also wore some large black gloves covering his hands all the way to his lower elbows, looking to have straps that tighten on the wrists. Knuckles saw them as fighting gloves, perfect for smacking a guy's face in without leaving a scratch on your hands. On his lower body he wore a pair of black denim jeans fastened with a leather belt, which looked suitable for traveling, but also looked cumbersome for running, at least that's what Sonic thought. The shoes however, looked to be designed for traction and scaling landscapes and nothing else. It would be no surprise if they were exceptional running shoes as well. They seemed like a nice pair, one that Sonic might be interested in wearing. And lastly, the person had a long red scarf that hung from around his turtleneck to the grassy ground he stood on. The guy then began walking a few steps closer to the two heroes, dragging the scarf behind him. The trail it leaves completely flattens the well cut grass.

"Why, What's happenin' mates?" Said the creature with a strine accent, cracking a friendly smile. The guy was standing right in front of them in the dead center of the trail, which made the two heroes very nervous, still they tried to keep their composure nonetheless. "Ey? Why you lookin' like a bunch a fruits? Don't tell me you're scared of me." Sonic looked towards Knuckles, not knowing what to expect. Never in the hedgehog's life has he seen a dog like that, let alone dress like some fighter from the future. When Sonic looked at Knuckles he noticed that he was facing right at him. He wasn't even trying to notice Sonic as he asked him, "Hey, Knuckles. What's up?" Knuckles' teeth grinded onto each other, his fists balled up to the point of bleeding. Looks like Knuckles know who or what this guy is.

"Pardon us sir," said Knuckles to the wolf, Sonic looking at his friend in confusion. "You see. We were just passing by this woodland with no intent of harming it, until we came across that castle there." The bug guy's head tilted, his arms folded around his chest. "Oh? You mean that castle? That's true, it's a bit difficult to miss, that big bugger of a fort. A beauty ain't it?" Knuckles nodded and said, "Yes it is. We were hoping to meet the caretaker of that place, to better understand its radiance." Sonic couldn't believe how smart Knuckles was sounding. Since when did he acquire words like "radiant" and "pardon"? He never ever said pardon once, at least not to Sonic's knowledge. What the hell's he doing? Are they going to serve tea now?

"Ahh! I see how you'd want to get a tour of the castle so badly. You look eager for a bit of mystery aren't ya?" The guy said. "So how about it? Can you let us pass?" Knuckles asked keeping his eyes on him. Then the tall brute began scratching his chin and humming, as if he was trying to come up with an answer. Then he came out with, "Hmmm……….You sure you'd want that?" Knuckles' fists constricted even more. Sonic just looked at both of them talking, not having a word to bring up. "Well Yeah. Why would you wanna ask if we were sure? Are you the guy that owns the place?" The guy's eyes widened a bit after Knuckles' words. Then he mumbled a few of his own, "Well, at this rate it SHOULD be mine."

Then the guy's arms unfolded and he maintained a calmer, friendlier stance. "The name's Spyke. Ghost Hunter Extraordinaire at your service." He then bows as if for royalty. What the hell? Just a second ago he was tough and threatening, now he's acting like a goofball. Sonic just decided to go with it. "Well, since we're getting all fancy with the titles, my name is Sonic the Hedgehog." Knuckles then spoke up, "And I'm Knuckles. I'm just a mole."

Say what? Sonic looked at Knuckles as if he just cursed out at the president. What gives? Knuckles isn't a mole. Sonic then tried to remind Knuckles, "Uhh…Knucklehead? You're not a" Then Sonic was interrupted by Knuckles the self-proclaimed mole. For some reason, Knuckles wanted to keep his new identity. "We're just ordinary guys wanting to check out something they wanted to see since they were kids. So, how about it Spyke? Will you cut us some slack?" The wolf began to think hard, rubbing his chin even more, looking around as he made a decision. Knuckles' teeth were still grinding, but were hidden by his lips. Sonic knew how Knuckles was feeling. The red echidna, or mole, was unsure of Spyke. The character looked like trouble. You don't need to be a specialist to figure that out, but something else made Knuckles more nervous about the guy. In Knuckles' eyes, he can tell that Spyke was hunting for something. The first thing that came to Knuckles' mind that the wolf might be looking for were the emeralds. He felt that they were in danger yet again, and that Spyke was that danger. Sonic wasn't able to realize fully what Knuckles felt, but he knew far well to expect anything.

"Oh yea…Uhh…you see that's a bit of a sticky wicket for ya." The wolf chuckled a little as he broke out the bad news. Sonic and Knuckles perked up to listen. "You see, I can't let ya just prance right in. That castle…isn't the kinda place to check out." Knuckles' right fist shook violently, "Wait! Why not?" Spyke shook his head, "Remember what I said bout bein' a ghost hunter? Well I am a ghost hunter, and that castle up yonder, is haunted."

"Bologna!!" Knuckles screamed. He was showing signs of stress and tried to sober back up from it. "I mean…I don't believe in ghosts. I think it's all just a bunch of bologna." Spyke just let out a loud humph of laughter for a respond and shook his head again, and then folding his arms again. "You really want to see that castle huh? Even if it will tear you to shreds with fear." Spyke chuckled even more. Sonic began to get nervous as well. "Tell ya what. I'll give you blokes a chance to the goal." Sonic became very nervous. Not another race. I still haven't recovered from that last one. Come on man, I don't need this! Sonic's nerves were easy to notice, but Knuckles was still focused on Spyke.

"All you have to do is run past me. If I'm not able to stop you in time, go on ahead to the castle. Keep in mind that I warned you punks…" After that last line, Spyke was considered to Knuckles an enemy to both him and Sonic. Although the blue hedgehog was relieved that it wasn't a race. So…all they had to do was run past him. To Knuckles it sounded like an invitation to hell and back, but to Sonic, it sounded like Spyke was underestimating them. In an instant, his confidence came back one last time, and he was ready to give it his all. "Fine then! I'll accept your challenge Mr. Ghost hunter Extraordinaire! Here I come!!"

"Sonic! Wait!!" Knuckles yelled. Spyke then sported a vile grin with sharp fangs, and let out a growl. "Come at me!" Yelled the unmasked monster. With that, Sonic wasted no time getting past him. In Sonic's mind, he already pictured himself passing up Spyke without any trouble, leading to a new victory, but no sooner has he bolted past the wolf from a 20 foot distance, he was stopped in his tracks so immediate that he almost thought his eyes were going to pop out. Then, after blocking the hedgehog's head with both his hands, Spyke said with a raspy and horrifying voice, "You Fail Hedgehog."


	4. Chapter 4: Knuckles Retreats

_In all the days of triumph and victory,_

_The blue hero finally knew what it was like,_

…_To lose._

Chapter 4: Knuckles Retreats 

"Look Sonic…The Lake." Sonic heard form his right as he rose up from a grassy patch with lilies poking out randomly from it. The afternoon Sun grew brighter as the clouds moved aside to let the light through and Sonic couldn't keep it out of his eyes. His hands seemed transparent and useless, even if he tried his hardest to block the bright Sun.

"Oh. It's so beautiful. Don't you agree?" The voice was as heart-warming as it was close by. Sonic turned to the source of the young voice and found a young girl with short silver hair and a white dress sitting on the rocks, staring at a large body of water that was so foggy it seemed endless.

"Wait. Say again?" sonic asked confused at where he is. He never remembered coming to a foggy place like this. It was something that made him dizzy just thinking about it. He could feel his head aching like it was screaming inside. "I don't understand? What lake? What's going on?"

"I said…" The small girl turned her head to her back, towards Sonic, and her eyes met his, "The Lake? Isn't it beautiful? Sonic?" His head grew even heavier on his neck and he began to stagger around. "Sonic? What's wrong? Sonic?"

"Sonic…"

"What…"

"Sonic…"

"What?"

"Sonic!"

"Huh!?"

"Sonic! You idiot! Wake your ass up!"

Sonic jumped out of his fur and flipped onto his stomach and onto Knuckles. "Hey! Get off me you moron!" Knuckles yelled shoving the disoriented Sonic aside. Sonic rubbed his eyes and opened them only slightly to avoid the bright Sun, but it wasn't there. "Uhh…who turned off the Sun?" Knuckles raised his brow and murmured, "Sun…Sonic? Seriously…where the hell have you been?" Sonic jumps up in shock and scanned the area, "Wait! Where's the girl? Where's the Lake?"

Knuckles lifted himself up and brushed off his knees. "What girl Sonic? What're you talking about?"

"That girl, the one with the silver hair, she was here a minute ago."

"Damn…you must've been hit hard huh? There is no girl Sonic. There never was."

"But you don't understand! She was this high, in a dress. She was probably Six years old or so! She has to be here!"

"That's the thing! She wasn't here! You just got rammed into a tree! You've been out for two hours! There is no little girl!!"

Sonic was out of breath and sweating bullets. He still felt like his head was three times larger and his legs like spaghetti. "A tree? What tree? What the hell happened?"

Knuckles took a big sigh and shook is head. "Man. He must've been pretty strong to K.O. you like that."

"K.O?" Sonic asked turning to Knuckles, but what he saw scared him half to death. He didn't see the regular Knuckles, what he saw was a severely battered echidna with a black eye and cuts all over his body, and was barely standing up even with a stick from a nearby branch. Sonic then hovered his hand over his forehead and found a bump that stung when he touched it, and scared him when he realized it. Then a picture of a brown wolf with a red scarf occupied his mind.

"Spyke…" Sonic said above a whisper. Knuckles replied, "Bingo."

Sonic stumbled to the ground and landed on his behind, covering the bump on his head. "Looks like he got the best of us this time huh?" Knuckles said sitting down next to him, "It was even hard enough to get away from him that's for sure." Knuckles let out a weak laugh. Sonic glared at Knuckles like he wasn't serious.

Getting away? What the hell Knuckles? You can't just "Get Away". Then Knuckles slouched, for he was still trying to catch his breath. This got to Sonic. At first he was being himself, beating up eggbots like it was his profession. Then these new guys came along and trashed his party into a pile of nothing, knocked him to the ground and kicked the confidence out of him. He never ever experienced losing from anyone. And if he ever did, it would've been from Tails beating him in a game of chess. Sonic never lost an all out battle, and he never even wanted to. With that, his ears warmed up in his anger.

"Whaddya mean…getting away. You could've had him. What was wrong with you!? You can't just run from a battle like that you know! Don't you echidnas have pride?" Sonic said to Knuckles in a shaky tone. Knuckles straightened up his back and looked to Sonic and saw he was gritting his teeth and giving him a disappointing glare. Knuckles was sweating more than he was after the fight. "What could I do huh? He got the better of me; he beat the living crap out of me until I had only a spark of energy left to throw away. He put me in a position where I had no choice but to gather my last breath, grab you, and high tail it outta there! There was nothing I could do! And if I can remember right Sonic, you were the first one that he thrashed!"

Sonic became stunned and his mouth opened without any fighting words coming out. Whether Sonic liked it or not, Knuckles was right. He was right about every word he said to Sonic and he had to face them with open ears. Being scolded to was something that he was familiar with, but what Knuckles said was enough to stop you from breathing. It wasn't his tone, but the painful truth of it all.

Sonic his head between his knees and covered his face. He didn't say a word to Knuckles. The red echidna saw this and patted him on his shoulder. "I know how bummed you feeling man. I really do, No mistaking about that." Sonic didn't make a move at all, still bundled up and quiet.

"However, it is true about what you said. Pride is a serious thing to my people, but another thing that we keep in mind in the heat of battle is our lives. One must not dive head first into a snake pit without bringing a ladder with them. You must always think of the consequences when you happen to be in a state of defeat. Yes. It doesn't help your pride much, hell it will probably dent your honor a small bit, but as my ancestors said to me, 'There is no honor in defeat, but there is no sense in fighting a battle you can't possibly overcome.' We lived as a peaceful race and we didn't intend to be wiped out because of our foolish well being!"

Sonic removed his head from his knees and looked at the sky above, gazing at the evening clouds. Knuckles continued:

"Survival is painful at times Sonic, but it's the only way to stay alive. Besides…"

Knuckles looked at Sonic with a smile. "…You'll want to stay alive so you can train yourself, and face your opponents again."

Sonic's eyes widened from the ending of Knuckles' speech and he looked directly at him. That last sentence signaled him that Knuckles planned to fight him again, and beat him. And Sonic might as well do the same with that hedgehog girl. Funny thing is, Knuckles hasn't made a speech like that in ages, nor was he even known to say anything involving running away, but it seems battle experience has a way of changing a persons attitude.

"Now. Our main priority is getting well as soon as possible. I fear the emeralds are in danger again, and we'll probably have to fight Spyke again." Knuckles then flipped up and stretched his arms like they were already healing up. He then reached out for Sonic's hand. Sonic just looked at it, still down but hopefully not out. "Let's make way for Angel Island. It would be smart to lay low there."

Angel Island!? That's where the emeralds are! Knuckles is really thinking of preparing for a huge battle. Sonic already knew, if the emeralds are going to be in the mix, then Super Sonic is likely to make an appearance.

"As long as we take that speedy bitch down, I'll do anything." Sonic then grabbed Knuckles' hand and the echidna hoisted him onto his feet. "Speedy bitch huh? Was he really that fast Sonic?" Sonic then realized he was referring to the hedgehog girl when he planned in the past on keeping it to himself. "Oh!" Sonic replied, "I mean…he was pretty speedy taking me down right? Now let's go make a battle plan!"

Knuckles nodded. "Well said Sonic the Hedgehog!"

And in the darkness of the great castle 

_Looms a powerful being born from the sword_

_And has the blood of many on his hands_

_In the darkness of the scholar's room_

_Spyke's partner awaits the news of the emeralds._

"My friend. We have our headin'." Spyke said to the dark figure sitting on a regal chair behind an elegant desk with ancient engravings on the sides. The room was dark. The only light that resided was from a strange candle that presented a blue flame. The light from two thin windows also emanated, but not enough to reveal the entity's face. Although was can be seen is his hand holding an open book. The steel plates on the gauntlet he wore reflected the blue light like a curved mirror.

"The emeralds…" The figure said with a more English voice that was lower in tone than Spyke's strine accent. The voice easily conveys a young and experience warrior, but is nonetheless terrifying. Spyke folded his arms as usual. "So ya already knew eh? That pretty much defeats the purpose of me buggin' ya. Doesn't it?"

The figure let out a long sigh showing that he hated Spyke's sense of humor. Spyke stepped back once after the figures eyes began to glow a blue light. The contents of the desk shook up from his frustration towards Spyke. "Ignorant fool…you realize that I grow tired of you exceptionally quicker with your sarcasm." Spyke laughed nervously at his statement that nearly made him sweat. He figured he should get serious as of now.

"Although…" The figure said calmly, "I'm quite eager to know where those emeralds are. The echidna. You tracked him down did you not?" Spyke smiled with success. "Ahh…that I have. Of course, an echidna's spirit power is easy to track in clear weather such as this. Sad really. Ya could expect more from such an honorable race." Spyke tried to laugh at least a small bit, but the figure's tolerance was long gone. Spyke's laugh was easily weakened. "Very good Spyke…you're personality is pathetic, but you proceed with your tasks obediently. Well done." The figure didn't sound very pleased in his tone, but Spyke still let out a sigh of relief. Spyke's arms unfolded and he placed his hands on his hips. "So…how would ya like to bag us a few little shinies eh?"

"Very well…by tomorrow you will lead the way." the figure replied.

_So it was decided._

_The emeralds were to be seized after the rise of tomorrow's sun_

_Sonic and Knuckles, know not of their arrival._

_What will become of this meeting?_

"There, that'll do it." Knuckles said patching up the last cut from his right leg. After the supposedly fierce battle that he had, he was left with a lot to patch up. He practically looked like an Egyptian mummy. Sonic just stood there leaning on the wall of one of the houses they were resting in on Angel Island. He too had some wounds, but weren't as numerous as what Knuckles had to deal with. Right now the sun is setting for the night ahead. "You really think you can fight looking like that. Seriously you look like you had a tangle with the Sharmen bear." Sonic laughed his head off to that joke he made. Even Knuckles chuckled a bit. "Well you don't look so hot yourself Mr. One-hit-and-you're-out Wonder." Knuckles laughed away at his own comeback, Sonic wasn't laughing. Sonic then decided to walk up to a fruit bowl on the counter and help himself to one of the mangos. Knuckles finished off the last patch.

"Listen," Knuckles said, "We're going to need to take it easy tonight, if I am right, that Spyke fella is good at sudden appearances." Sonic just shrugged and took a huge bite out of the juiciest mango he could find. "Really now? That's a quick hunch you got." Knuckles stretched out his back from patching himself up for a half hour and went to grab a water bottle next to his medical supplies. "What I really wanna know is, how did the fight go between you and him? I mean…how strong was he?" Sonic turned to Knuckles waiting for a reply and saw he was taking a huge swig of the drink in the bottle.

"Urpp! Well, let's just say it was a pretty one sided fight. The guy was fast, he was strong, I had to give it everything I've got to dodge his blows, And well, I came out pretty bad after that battle. I managed to land a blow on him, but he was able to flip up and counter in a fraction of a second. He was an unpredictable fighter, no mistake about that. It was like he changed fighting styles in the midst of the brawl."

Sonic shook his head, "Man, that's nuts." He said. Knuckles chuckled. "Although. I was able to point out a small flaw in his tactics." Sonic's ears perked up. "Well let's here it!" Knuckles wiped his mouth from the drink and took a slow breath.

"He was reckless. He nearly took out every tree that was in his path. Not the most graceful fighters I'll tell you that much. In fact, I saw that he nearly tripped over that huge scarf of his. He was a real klutz to be fighting like that. That's pretty much the reason I was able to grab you're lifeless ass and lose him in the dense forests."

Sonic nodded. If that's how the big monster fought, then all Sonic has to do is confuse him. From the start, running at him head on was foolish, and he did just that back at Requiem. Sonic will never make that mistake again. "Okay," Knuckles said walking into one of the rooms, "If we are to fight him again, we might as well take a rest. No sense in opening up these wounds while the medicine is trying to heal them." Sonic looked puzzled, "What medicine? I don't remember taking any." Knuckles turned around to Sonic. "Oh! That's right. Drink this."

Knuckles throws the water bottle to Sonic and the hedgehog popped open the top and took a whiff of it, "Oh jeez! That's a strong smell." Knuckles nodded, "Just like the effects of it. I mixed it with healing herbs that grew on the island. Drink that stuff after a nap, and you'll wake up feeling like a million rings." Hearing that, Sonic took a sip of the medicine, "Don't drink too much now. We need it to last. Besides, you don't have as many wounds as I have. Take it easy" While drinking, Sonic gave a thumbs up and finished his dosage early. "Well, You going to rest up or what? The medicine works faster when you sleep." Knuckles said. "Oh…I'll crash in a minute. I just want to go outside and watch the sun set."

Sonic answered. Knuckles nodded an okay and shut the door to his own room. With that, Sonic made his way outside and jumped up on the roof to get a better view of the horizon. He sat down on the very top of the roof, for it was well rounded off and even stable enough to sit on. The sun was already an orange hue that made the clouds glow magenta. Sonic chuckled and said to himself, "Heh. Amy was right about these sunsets. You really can see her in them. That's just great. Now when I see pink, her face pops up in my mind. There's no escaping it. Heh." Sonic's smile faded. He also saw a hue of blue in the top part of the sky, which reminded him of that girl glaring at him with a smile of her own.

"Man. That girl was so fast. It was amazing. I have to beat her next time I find her, or else…" Sonic's fists tightened, "Or else I can't even call my self 'The Fastest Thing Alive'. I have to beat her. I must beat her!" Sonic stood up, but did nothing. The adrenaline that he got from thinking of that girl just made him want to stand tall. "Oh yeah. She's toast. I won't just beat her; I'll make her pay a hundred times over! " Then, the sky dimmed as the sun went down, and the moon became clear from the eastern sky. Sonic looked at the moon. It reminded him of another person he knew. "Hmm…that silver haired girl. Was she just a dream? Was she even real? I can't put my finger on it. Wish I didn't have so many images of her." Sonic sighed and continued to look at the moon. It was a crescent moon, just came out anew, but the white reflection of its surface was still full enough to be recognizable. "Well. Whoever you were, you've really invaded my mind." Yawning loudly, Sonic saw it fit to jump down and head back into the house for a well needed nap.


	5. Chapter 5: Lord Vincent

Chapter 5: Lord Vincent 

_The morning came quickly with not a moments notice._

_The night that the two heroes weathered_

_Sped up as fast as they fell into slumber,_

_And their health was restored in due time as well._

_But now, their sleep comes to an end_

_For their pursuer has come back to haunt them both_

_His superior stands beside him, with the emeralds in sight_

"Here we are my good friend, Angel Island." Said Spyke the Moon Wolf. His gesture looked as if he welcomed a god…someone very powerful. From the blackness of the shaded path steps out a man covered in a well-made black cloak, his face covered up by its hood and a long turtleneck able to protect his face from cold climates. A black cape with a strange white emblem hung from the back of his shoulders flowing excellently through the high altitude winds. The shoulders of the cloak were pointed at the sides like steel shoulder blades were under them, and the tail stretched to the ground but was opened up from the bottom waist down, which made it flow like the cape, and showed Armor plates that protected the hips. Lastly, his pants were black and were tucked into the boots he wore. His hands were positioned to his back but under the flowing cape.

"Well then, Shall we collect the bounty?" Spyke said to the dark figure. The man did not reply. Instead, he began walking ahead and passed up Spyke, who still kept a grin on his face even if he seemed to have been ignored.

"Sonic! Wake up! We got company!" Knuckles said to the drowsy Sonic. Sonic sat up in his bead and rubbed his eyes. "What Knuckles?" Then it hit him like a stone behind the head. "I was sleep talking wasn't I!?" Sonic yelled hastily. Knuckles slapped Sonic in the face to wake him up, "No you idiot! We got company! I saw them appear on the island.

It was Spyke, and he brought a friend, a strong friend. We need to get to the shrine and protect the Emeralds." Sonic shook his head. "Spyke? How the heck did he find us? Did he follow us here last night." Knuckles replied, "I'm not sure. But he's here nonetheless and we need to fight him off. We can do it this time Sonic. Let's send them both to hell!" Sonic nodded and leaped from his bedside. "Alright. That guy will wish he never slammed me into a tree!" So then both sonic and Knuckles took a shortcut through the corridors of the abandoned town.

"Hmm. I believe this door is in our way good friend. Doesn't look at all sturdy does it?" Said Spyke as the two stood before a great big doorway that leads to the main chamber, containing the emeralds inside. The dark cloaked figure gazed at the massive door. It looked to be more than 40 tons of solid rock, and on it were markings that showed the seven small emeralds, surrounding the Master Emerald in a halo. On the sides were pictures of the long forgotten Echidna race, bowing to the great gems in the middle. In the lower middle of the picture, was an orange echidna that raised its arms to the emeralds. A white shaded aura surrounded that one echidna. The figure kneeled before the picture of the orange one and put his hand on the solid stone surface. "So, this is your treasure isn't it? Thousands of years of toil and anguish…conceived such powerful stones.

Forgive me…Tikal. I will be taking them now. But fear not. I will take good care of your treasure. A knights promise to a kingdom's young princess."

The figure gave the picture one more stroke of respect and walked back a few steps, "Sebastian! Blast it down!" Spyke, or Sebastian, jumped ahead of the figure and assumed fighting stance. "As you wish!" With a single punch of deadly fire, the opposing wall came down like a weak dirt mound. The force summoned a gusting wind that covered the area in flying rocks and dust. The sound of the crash echoed through the islands woodland and abandoned settlements. The cloaked man didn't flinch at all as the wall was brought down.

"Let the smoke clear Sebastian." Said the man to stop Spyke from entering the doorway. "What for, Afraid of a little sand in yer eyes or somethin'? " The figure shook his head. "You don't want to proceed in front of them with your guard down." Spyke looked puzzled and turned back to his front waiting for the smoke to clear. Once the wind carried off most of the dust, Spyke saw the two protectors standing right in front of the shrine. Sonic the Hedgehog, and Knuckles the Echidna, fighting for the safety of the emeralds. "Sorry pal, but your search is going to end a little short." Sonic said.

Spyke just laughed away at the brave heroes instead of preparing for a fight like he should. "Well now, look what we have here! It's the punks from the forest. Haven't had enough I guess. I thought you'd have abandoned this place for your Asses intact, like you did at our little fight." Sonic and Knuckles stood poised in front of Spyke regardless of his words. Spyke tilted his head, "By the way, Knuckles is it?" Knuckle's eyes widened. "That's right. I haven't thanked ya have I? You were the one that showed us how to get here in the first place." Knuckles didn't know what he was talking about. It took him awhile to say something to counter the monster. "What the hell are you talking about? I told you nothing of this place. Like I said. I was just a-"

"A mole?" Spyke interrupted. Knuckles flinched. "Maybe you're under estimatin' me. I would never be unfamiliar with the prey's spiritual essence, especially that of an echidna." Knuckles stepped back once. Never ever had he mentioned that he was a mole. He didn't even speak like an echidna. "Heh. Looks like me imitating a mole to throw you off was a waste of breath." Knuckles began to laugh, even if it was a weak one. Sonic looked at Knuckle, looking back at the last battle. "So? What? You pretended to be a mole so you would protect the emeralds?" Sonic said to Knuckles.

Knuckles shook his head slowly. "Sonic. First I saw this guy I knew he was bad. You didn't notice anything?" Knuckles still kept his smile from that weak laugh. Devoid of regret, Knuckles was simply amazed. "You won't be taking the emeralds Spyke. No matter what, I won't let you." Knuckles straightened his back and faces Spyke again. "So you tracked me. No big deal. Now you'll have to go through me!" Knuckles assumed the fighting stance and dust kicked up around him. Sonic joined in with Knuckles, wanting to help his friend at all cost. "Yeah. And this time, there's no way I'll be defeated again!" Spyke grinned. Another fight with these losers will be nothing. They are both toast.

"Hold it…" The dark figure finally spoke up after a long silence. Spyke flinched and turned around to the figure. "Wait up! Why don't I kill'em now. They ain't got a reason to live no more do they? They're nothing! Let me pound their brains out for the sake of running last time!"

The figure just walked past Spyke, stepping over the rubble that was once the stone door. "Hey! I'm talking to you! You said I can kill'em didn't you? You're bustin' my balls Vin-"

CRASH!! Spyke felt the side of him hitting the wall of the dome. His body was submersed in rock and rubble that covered every inch of him, except for his left leg sticking out from the pile. After the noise of the crash silenced, the dark figure put his right fist down and put it behind his back with his other arm. "Sebastian. Haven't I told you to leave this to me?" Sonic and Knuckles just froze. Spyke was the monster that messed them both up in a series of attacks and the dark man pushed him aside with just one fist. The two couldn't move or speak.

What? What the hell is this guy? How can he just punch Spyke so easily? Sonic's arms began to shake.

What the hell…I can't move my arms…Shit!

"Forgive me…" The figure said, "I believe we came at a bad start. My intentions aren't as evil ass you believe…" Knuckles finally was able to say something to the cloaked man, "Who…who the hell are you?"

The figure remained still, then his arms lifted up. Sonic and Knuckles readied themselves for a potential attack from the new enemy. But instead of causing harm, the left hand grabbed the zipper of the large turtleneck covering his face, and the right one took care of the hood. He then revealed his face to be that of a handsome canine with long blue-silver hair. The silver was seen at the tips of his hair. He had the muzzle of a wolf, and he had the white eyes of a ghost, or a powerful deity. His ears were perked up in a friendly gesture, but his expression showed no emotion.

"I am Lord Vincent of Requiem. I am the owner of the castle you were curious about."

Knuckles and Sonic couldn't believe it. The owner of the Castle of Requiem is no human, but a wolf. And Spyke must be his right hand man, or mercenary. Spyke rose from the pile of rocks and stood straight up with barely a scratch. "Jeez. You shoulda said so mate, instead of shove me. I got feelings too y'know?" Spyke walked back to Vincent's side still brushing off the dust and pebbles from his scarf.

"So," Knuckles said. "So you're the guy that lives in that huge castle right?" Vincent sighs, "Didn't I just inform you of that?" Sonic stepped up with another question. "And you were the one responsible for the explosion a couple days ago! Right?" Vincent brushes the hair from his face, looking like he didn't listen. Sonic tried again, with a louder voice. "Well!? Did you!?"

"I heard you the first time." Vincent said still getting his bangs out of his eyes. Sonic took a step and raised his fist.

"Answer me!!!" Sonic yelled.

Knuckles was about to tell Sonic to calm down but then Vincent came out with, "You. Echidna." Knuckles redirected his attention to Vincent, "What?" Vincent took a second to gaze at the emeralds. All seven of them glittered like diamonds fished out of spring water. Then Vincent turned to the Master Emerald, the jewel that created things both good and evil. It shined even brighter than the Chaos Emeralds. He could even see his reflection from a distance.

After a moment of silence, Vincent finally spoke, "These emeralds are widely demanded, are they not?" Knuckles looked puzzled, but kept listening. Sonic listened as well.

"They say these simple stones have unlimited power, that can be felt throughout the cosmos and beyond. Many people, no, many entities seek these stones for their personal gain. Or in your case, only use them to serve and protect these lands, because you follow the path of light. I stand for that exact purpose and follow the same path. I wish to use them for the greater good of all the races of the universe, at which includes yours, Echidna."

Knuckles eyes dilated. "What? My People?"

"Correct. My purpose is to restore the ancient races and technologies of archaic times. I wish to rebuild the long forgotten teachings of my people, to create a beacon that will draw in people's helping hands and awaken the light in their hearts. And lastly, decimate the darkness that sent me on this quest in the first place, the dark king. I have the power to change the history of my origin, and I can do the same for yours as well."

"Say what now?" Spyke asked with his arms folded as usual, but got no answer. Knuckles lowered his fists, going over each word that Vincent said. "You serious?"

"Yes Knuckles." Vincent replied, addressing Knuckles by his own name. "With the power of the emeralds, I can save the past, and make your future worth living. With that, the race of the newly formed echidnas will be forever protected…" Vincent's eyes glowed white with power.

"…under my rule."

Sonic turned to Knuckles and yelled, "Wait Knuckles! You don't know if this guy is telling the truth. Just look at him. He's terrifying. And he did say he was going to rule! There's no way that he means what he said! Knuckles! You can't just shake this guy's hand! Let's take him out before he-"

"Silence!" Vincent yelled out. Then at Sonic's feet, a cluster of ice shot up from the ground that could've skewered him if he hadn't jumped out of the way. Sonic skidded on the stone floor and assumed fighting stance. "You have no say in the matter hedgehog.

There are already more of you that I can put up with. You did not live alone like your friend. So keep your mouth shut before your race will be noted…as the first to go."

Sonic gritted his teeth. That's it! This guy is the main enemy! He has to be defeated!!! "As if!" Sonic yelled charging at the great wolf. Vincent's eyes glowed, "When will you be silenced!" then a wall of ice shot from the stone tiles and blocked Sonic's path to Vincent. On the other side of the wall, Vincent raised his fist and punched at the icy wall, shattering it to pieces and shooting out at Sonic.

Once the ice decimated on the wall of the dome, Sonic spun in the air shielding him from the larger chunks. He then landed on his feet, but fell to his knees in a second. Although he blocked the ice, the energy force of the punch still left cuts on him. Sonic looked to his left and saw Vincent standing right in front of Knuckles. Knuckles was already on his knees from the blast of ice that Vincent cast earlier. "Thousands of lives can be rebuilt, as well as their countless dreams. With my ancient ancestry, I can bring it all back from that fateful day that Chaos rained on your people. Knuckles. Will you trust me?"

Knuckles looked back up to Vincent like he was a real king. For his entire life, Knuckles thought of his people and what they were like back then. The men, women, children, and Tikal, could be restored if Knuckles was to leave the emeralds in the wolf's hands. His life will never be so lonesome.

"Knuckles!! Snap out of it!! He's going to trick you!! Knuckles." Just then, Sonic sensed another presence. Someone else was in the dome, but he could not see who it was. When he looked back at Knuckles he saw the wolf's right palm held out for him. "Join me, and the echidnas will be reawakened." Knuckles looked at Vincent with reassurance. It looked like he was falling for Vincent's tale. Then Knuckles' right hand rose to meet Vincent's in a handshake of trust.

Sonic ran out to the two, "Knuckles!! No!!!"

Then the island began to shake violently like an earthquake, and the emeralds were glowing brighter and brighter. Vincent and Spyke flinched from the continuing tremor, "What the hell's goin' on!!" Spyke yelled. Vincent looked at Sonic, "Tell me! What Magic is this?"

Knuckles then rose to his feet and faces the angry Vincent. "It's the defense mechanism for the emeralds. When one is taken from the shrine by greedy hands, all the other emeralds are to automatically retreat from the island, along with the master emerald. They will hide themselves around the world from harm, and you will never find them."

Vincent looked back at Knuckles with gritting teeth. "Say what echidna!?"

"I said, " Said Knuckles raising his fists, "You have failed!!!" Knuckles then sent Vincent into the opposite side of the dome with a charged punch. "Graaaagghhhh!!!!!!!" The tyrant slammed into an ice wall that caught him just in time. Spyke ran to Vincent to see if he was all right, and Sonic was too busy facing the hedgehog that stole one of the emeralds.

"You!! You were the bitch that cheated at our race!! What the hell are you doing with that Emerald!?" Sonic said to the girl hedgehog with the long ponytail. "Why do you care? It's mine now and you can't have it! Suck on that Blue Balls!!" The girl then charged at Sonic with a lightning fast jump kick. Sonic steps aside from her kick and left her flying toward the wall. But instead of crashing she stopped in midair, surrounded by blades of wind.

"Nice try boy. But I'm a bit smarter than that." Before she could turn around, Sonic landed a solid blow to her pretty face. The girl was left spinning in the air frantically before landing on the ground. "Are you sure about that?" Sonic said to the girl. With the girl on her back, Sonic came up and presses his right foot on her chest to hold her down. "Now! Hand over the emerald or I break every rib in your cute little body!" the girl struggled but managed to take a giant breath, "Will you ever stop talking about my body!?" Clutching the emerald in her right hand, she began to glow all over.

With a loud cry, her body exploded with a powerful energy field, sending Sonic into the air towards the ceiling. The girl stood up, staggering in the process. "W-what? What the hell? What the hell just happened?"

"…I…did that?"

The girl put her left hand to her heart to see if it was still beating. It was beating faster than ever. She then gazed at the emerald and all its beauty. "This thing. That girl was right…they ARE powerful." She then looked at the two wolves that were facing the red echidna. The quake was still shaking the island.

"There's more where that came from you faker!" Knuckles said with a fist burning in a red flame. The two rose from the icy wall that Vincent cast in time. "What the hell is happening you little punk!?" Spyke yelled out with his sharp teeth showing. "Right now. The emeralds are retreating, and at the same time, the island will fall to the ocean, and it's going to take us all down with it." Knuckles said to the wolves. Spyke gasped and looked at the emeralds. At that moment, the Chaos Emeralds blasted into the air and through the top of the dome. The master emerald simply vanished. "Damn it!! Damn it all to hell!!" Spyke said bolting for the door. But Knuckles swooped in front of him and kicked him 10 feet back to where he was. "There's no escape now. Your plans are as dead as you'll be."

Vincent stepped up to Knuckles, "You're forgetting something you fool. You will be going down with us!" he yelled at the echidna.

"Not on my watch!!" Sonic jumped up to Knuckles' side with one of the Chaos Emeralds, the green one of the seven. "What the hell? Sonic?" Knuckles said puzzled. Sonic then grabbed Knuckles' arm and yelled out, "Chaos Control!!" With those words, the two vanished from the island as quick as the emeralds. And now the girl, Vincent, and Spyke were left on the island to await their fate in the bottom of the sea.

"Oh god no! This can't be happening!!" yelled the girl, but the water of the great ocean already began to engulf the island.

From miles away on a cliff beside the ocean, Sonic and Knuckles watched as the island submerged into the darkness.

Parting is such sweet sorrow, thought Knuckles 

_As his home plunges into the ocean's painful grasp._

_Sonic could only look on, but feel the same way of his longtime friend._

_But this would not be the end of the story_

_Many things have gone unexplained, and the secret of the weapon of ancients,_

_Has yet to reveal itself…_


End file.
